Bagan

Bagan is an ancient city located in the Mandalay Region. From the 9th to 13th centuries, the city was the capital of the Kingdom of Pagan, the first kingdom to unify the regions that would later become modern Myanmar.

Bagan is located on the banks of the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River and is home to the largest and densest concentration of Buddhist temples, pagodas, stupas in the world with many dating from the 11th and 12th centuries. The shape and construction of each building is highly significant in Buddhism with each component part taking on spiritual meaning.

It is estimated that as many as 13,000 temples and stupas once stood on this 42 sq km. Marco Polo once described Bagan as a "gilded city alive with tinkling bells and the swishing sounds of monks' robes". Approximately 2,200 remain today.